Improvement in fishing-rods



H. VAN ALTENA. Fishing-Rod.

No. 208,500. Patented Oct. 1, 1878..

Witnesses Inventor- 2f nlmd zm Attorney.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY VAN ALTENA, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF HIS RIGHT TO JAMES B. ERWIN, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN FISHING-RODS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 208,500, dated October 1, 1878; application filed April 24, 1878.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HENRY VAN ALTENA, of the city of Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fishing-Rods; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanyin g drawings, and to letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings represents a perspective view of my invention. Fig. 2 is a side view of the same.

The object of my invention is to furnish improvements in fishing-rods; and consists in providing the same with a device for winding up the fishingline and a checking device for the reel, which also serves as a protection or covering for the same when not in use, all of which are further explained by reference to the accompanying drawings,in which- A represents the rod. B is a slot for the reception of the winding-bar O, which wind ing-bar is secured in the slot by the shaft D. The shaft D is provided with a crank, E, by which it and the winding-bar G are revolved. The winding-bar O is provided with a notch, F,at each of its ends, and a groove, G, on each edge, for the reception of the fishing-line, which is rapidly wound thereon by turning the crank E. H is a tube, which slides over the winding-bar 0 when the bar is turned within the slot 13, in which position the tube covers up the slot and winding-bar with line, &c., and all are perfectly protected and entirely obscured from view.

The tube H is provided with a slot, I, which is cut therein, that the tube may he slid forward past the shaft D. J is a receptacle for fishing-tackle, hooks, sinks, &c. It is constructed by simply boring out the end of the rod and providing the same with a common cover.

It is obvious that the winding-bar may be varied in length, a bar six inches in length being ample to accommodate about fifty feet of the ordinary fish-line. When the bar is six inches long it winds up more than one foot of the line with each revolution, the capacity and speed of the winding-bar being proportionally increased by lengthening the windingbar without increasing the size of the rod or rendering it less convenient to handle, the reel and line being entirely covered up by the tube. The tube H also serves another important end for adjusting the length of the fish-line by holding the bar O when slid forward, thus preventing it from turning and the line from unwinding.

When desirous to extend or wind up the line, the tube is drawn back, so that the bar 0 can revolve, and the bar 0 is adjusted to hold any length of line required by simply sliding the tube forward over it.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

In combination with the rod A, having slot B, and elongated reel 0, having shaft D and crank E, the sliding tube H, having slot 1, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HENRY VAN ALTENA.

Witnesses:

J. V. V. PLATTO, JAS. B. ERWIN. 

